Parking to decrease in space and increase in price

 

Outrage has been caused as Westminster City Council announce that they are set to implement further parking regulations in the City of London as of 1st December. Labour Councillors have described these changes as ‘the worst possible Christmas present for West End shops and shoppers’ as the restrictions will diminish parking areas already in demand and increase meter prices.

The new changes mean that parking on single yellow lines will be prohibited until after 12am from Monday to Saturday and only after 6pm on a Sunday. As if this wouldn’t cause enough controversy, parking meter prices will also increase by 10%, charging £2.20 per hour Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and £4.40 on Thursday Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Petitions have been created in opposition to these changes, and many people fear that this lack of available parking space will compromise businesses, leading to loss of jobs and revenue. One petition expresses people’s concerns that ‘this will severely compromise the safety of all night workers by forcing them to commute at unsociable hours by public transport which has proved in the past to be extremely dangerous’.

Currently the measures are set to be implemented on an experimental basis for up to 18 months, and will discourage many people from travelling into the capital. So strong has the reaction been to this proposal, that many people are threatening that they ‘will be looking for offices outside Westminster to run my business’ which could be severely detrimental if many people adopt this attitude.

During a time of economic unrest, is this really what is needed to aid the development of businesses? Further regulations on parking which is already scarce for people renting office space in London seems only to be a discouragement for the growth of businesses. Many people eagerly await the outcome of the trial period to discover whether these new restrictions will become a regular obstacle in their everyday life.

To find out about office space in the City of London, talk to Search Office Space now on 0800 740 80 80 to discuss your requirements.

Follow @SOSOfficeSearch